Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retire from T20Is after world cup triumph

Indian cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from T20 internationals format after India clinched the World Cup title with a thrilling victory over South Africa in Barbados.

According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, the retirement of both Rohit and Kohli from T20Is was not entirely unexpected. Neither had played any T20Is following India's semi-final defeat in the 2022 T20 World Cup until resuming in January this year, with their focus on the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Rohit confirmed that he would continue to play in ODIs and Tests. "This was my last [T20I] game as well," Rohit declared during the post-final press conference.

"There's no better time to say goodbye to this format. I've cherished every moment of playing T20Is. I began my India career in this format, and winning the World Cup is the perfect conclusion," he added.

Rohit expressed his deep emotions and desire for the title, saying, "I wanted this badly. It's very hard to put into words. This was a very emotional moment for me. I was desperate for this title in my life, and I'm happy that we finally crossed the line."

Rohit leaves the T20I format as its highest scorer with 4,231 runs in 159 matches and holds the record for the most centuries (five) in T20 internationals. He has won two T20 World Cup titles: the inaugural one as a player in 2007 and now as captain in 2024.

Rohit finished the 2024 tournament as the second-highest run-scorer, amassing 257 runs at a strike rate of 156.70 in challenging batting conditions in the USA and the West Indies. His aggressive approach provided India with fast starts, and he scored crucial match-winning half-centuries in the Super Eight match against Australia and the semi-final against England.